Mamata, BJP share dream of ‘Congress-mukt’ Bharat: RSS-linked magazine

The column, written by one Nirmalya Mukhopadhyay and published Monday in the weekly magazine, also talks about Banerjee maintaining distance from Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her party.

Pointing out several recent statements by Banerjee against the UPA and Congress, a paragraph of the article reads: “Mamatar ei palte jaoa theke poriskar, ey Mamata shey Mamata noy. Narendra Modi er swapno Congress-mukt Bharat. Apaptoto Mamata sei sapner sharik bole amar dharona. Tai itihas muche phele swapner feriwalah Mamata (It is clear from her changing stance that this is not the same Mamata. Narendra Modi’s dream is Congress-free India. I feel that Mamata now also believes in the same dream. That’s why she is erasing her history to sell this dream).”

State minister and TMC secretary general Partha Chatterjee said: “I don’t know who writes such articles. All I can say is that Mamata Banerjee is the main face against the BJP.”

RSS state general secretary Jishnu Basu told The Indian Express: “I have not read the articles. Therefore I cannot comment on this. All I know is that about 62 workers of the BJP have been killed in post poll violence in West Bengal. This is nothing but the murder of democracy.”

This is not the first time the RSS-linked magazine has tried to link Banerjee and PM Modi’s paths. In the previous edition published on December 6, another article had talked about a “mysterious alliance between Modi and Mamata” which had caught Opposition parties off guard.

Senior West Bengal Congress leader Amitabha Chakraborty said Banerjee’s recent activities vindicate the articles. “It is not the first time she has spoken against our party. She was with the BJP earlier and supported the NDA government. Now she is going against the Congress which is evident from her recent activities. It is clear that both Mamata and Modi wants to form the next government in 2024,” said Chakraborty.

Magazine editor Tilak Ranjan Bera told The Indian Express: “It is the opinion of the columnist. He is a regular contributor to our magazine and is free to express his opinion. We are not drawing any conclusion as of yet. If anyone has any reservation against his column then they should challenge it with facts.”

Former editor of the magazine Bijoy Adhhya said: “The column is a reflection of contemporary politics. He has expressed his opinion after observing recent political activities.”

Over the last few months, Banerjee has been distancing TMC from the Congress while reaching out to other Opposition parties.

During her visit to New Delhi last month, Banerjee was cold to the Congress, deciding against meeting the Gandhis. She had then met Prime Minister Narendra Modi to invite him to inaugurate the Bengal Global Business Summit.

The Congress recently suffered another blow at the hands of the TMC, with Meghalaya witnessing a political upheaval. Former Chief Minister Mukul Sangma and 11 other Congress MLAs switched to the TMC, making it the principal Opposition party in the state.